ISLAMABAD: The strike by the PIA Engineering Group affected the flight operations of the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), due to which several flights have been cancelled or delayed.
Due to the dispute between the PIA management and aircraft engineers over salaries, the protesting staff have stopped issuing safety clearances, grounding several planes and causing major inconvenience to passengers nationwide.
According to a PIA spokesperson, some flights were delayed and cancelled due to the strike, however we are restoring some of the flight operations through alternative means.
According to officials, at least 55 flights have been disrupted, including five cancellations from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad airports.
So far, twelve international flights have also been affected, leaving many passengers, including a large number of Umrah pilgrims stranded.
Flight PK-783 from Karachi to Toronto and flight PK-701 from Islamabad to Manchester departed on time, according to the spokesperson.
Flight PK-747 from Lahore to Medina was delayed by 14 hours, while flight PK-761 from Karachi to Jeddah departed 12 hours late.
Flight PK-233 from Islamabad to Dubai was delayed by 9 hours, flight PK-245 from Dammam and flight PK-755 from Sialkot to Riyadh was delayed by 7.7 hours.
Flight PK-741 from Islamabad to Jeddah was delayed by 6 hours and flight PK-300 from Karachi to Islamabad was delayed by 4 hours.
According to the spokesperson, five flights were cancelled to adjust the operational load, while passengers have been offered alternative flights.
The PIA spokesperson has expressed hope that the flight operations of the national airline will return to normal very soon.
